Effects of the plant host on the detergent sensitivity and viability of Rhizobium bacteroids.

Bacteroids prepared from different legume species showed large differences in detergent sensitivity as judged by changes in turbidity and the release of cytochrome c oxidase activity after detergent treatments. There was a strong correlation between the detergent sensitivity and non-viability of bacteroids. Differences in the detergent sensitivity of bacteroids were determined by the plant host rather than the Rhizobium strain or the effectiveness of the symbiosis. The most common level of detergent sensitivity observed amongst bacteroids from 34 legume species was intermediate between lupin bacteroids and brothcultured bacteria.